The Moon on a Stick? We’ll give it a try

High street ladies’ fashion is a competitive market, with many players chasing the same market share. In the second half of last year, Mistral, a lifestyle women’s clothing brand, appointed us to help gain market share from their competitor White Stuff by taking a bold approach.

We started with a low-risk test budget (£7k) to raise awareness of their new range among existing customers as well as attracting new consumers. With stores limited largely to the south and west, the aim was to drive new customers online as well as in store.

Choosing a range of mediums helped us illustrate the benefits of each for their female target market of ABC1, 35+. We tested a full-page ad facing fashion editorial in Stella, an insert in Ocado deliveries and a series of direct mail postcards to a targeted database in geographical areas away from their store locations. Each included an offer – either a bigger discount on a specific outfit or a smaller discount on a range. The latter won hands down.

After three months, we’re seeing some impressive results. Six ads have run in national press. All exceeded target ROI, some by as much as 300%, with Q4 spend enjoying an average ROI of 5:1. New customer generation is huge, representing 65%, while gaining further sales from existing customers. Web traffic rose and is being converted through re-targeting, with footfall in store also increasing. 25% took the voucher in store. All in all, profit exceeded forecast by 200%.

As a result, AJ is delighted budgets have been signed off for Q1, with Mistral also keen to test off-the-page for their sister brand, Muted Tones. Moon on a stick? We think so.

Like what you see and hear? Talk to us about creating the right campaign for you. Contact Lesley Bowman on 01225 758222 or lesley@aja.co.uk.